Thursday, October 24, 2013

Quick Peek: Park Tool DC-1 Digital Caliper


Most people just get on their bikes and ride, whilst leaving the mundane chore of maintenance and upgrades to their local shop.  Not that this is a bad thing, it is just that some of us prefer to do our own tinkering.  And, in the cases where it is required, we need to measure things, and accurately, at that.


When the boys at Tweaked Sports of Glendora, California handed me the DC-1 to try out, my first thought was one of indifference.  I mean, I already assessed things with a tape measure, ruler, and blind luck, however, I soon found myself using the tool to not only check manufacturers claims on components, but I soon began to measure wear on various items in which we cyclists encounter, like brake pads, chains and tires (I even used it to measure some components on my Ducati motorcycle).  I even found myself using it around the house on various things.  Hey, maybe every household should have a set of digital calipers.

However, the reality is the DC-1 was meant to be so much more (after all, it is a serious shop tool and not a toy), so when I do my next bike overhaul, this caliper will be right there to help me along.  And the best of all, to quote Marisa Tomei from the movie My Cousin Vinny, the Park Tool DC-1 is “Guaranteed to be dead-on-balls accurate.”

The Stats:

  • Large liquid crystal display (LCD)
  • Displays metric, decimal inch, and fractional inch to 1/128”
  • Measures external, internal, depth, and stepped dimensions
  • Accuracy: +/- 0.02/0.001mm
  • Repeatability: +/- 0.01/0.0005mm
  • 6”/150mm scale
  • ON/OFF, Zero-Out, and MM/Inch push buttons
  • Stainless steel and ABS composite construction
  • Includes a protective case, instructions sheet, and battery (SR44)
  • Retail $49.95 USD

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